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Question:
427-3410I was told that you can not seed and fertilize at the same time for the lawn. Is this true? Laurie, Deep River, CT

Mort's Answer:
It is true that you should not use fertilizer and lime at the same time. A chemical reaction will cause the
fertilizer to be dissipated. Seed can be used with lime or fertilizer. I would rake or till the soil and use the lime at that time. You can put down the fertilizer and the seed in a week or ten days later. All applications should be raked into the soil separately.

Question:
235-5201We seeded this spring with an all purpose seed mix. We got nothing but weeds. What would you suggest? Ann, Portsmouth, OH

Mort's Answer:
Because of the extreme weather, I would not reseed until fall. In the meantime I would continue to mow it close to the ground (about an inch). Keeping it at this height will stop them from seeding. In September, I would rototill the entire area. You should have at least 8 inches depth of good loam for a seed bed. If you do not, you should either bring in the soil or plant a garden. Quite often, old seed will not germinate. All seed is required by law to have dates on the bags. Year old seed has a very low germination rate. Another possibility is that you may have planted too late. Because of the lack of water, the weeds were the only plants capable of surviving the summer of 99. I would suggest a mix of roughly 50% bluegrass, 30% perennial rye, 10% annual rye and 10% winter rye. Fertilize with 8-6-4 granular.

Question:
236-5201Is it best to grow from seed or cuttings? Laurie, Deep River, CT

Mort's Answer:
Any woody or herbaceous materials more easily grown from cuttings. One reason is that you start with a larger size, when it is finally rooted. In addition, you have well defined areas for spacing. Transplanting is much easier as a result of lining out the cuttings. Some fleshy plants, such as patience and other house plants are easily started in water as cuttings. Vegetables and annuals are best started as seed and later transplanted into peat pots. Seeding is best down under grow lights. Tomatoes usually require bottom heat.( Although, most vegetables and annuals can be started outdoors in the late spring. Perennial seeds can be started in pots or in the outdoor soil in late summer and early fall. If you start in trays, you can file the seed in rows barely into the soil. I use a layer of vermiculite over the seed to prevent dampening off. Cuttings for landscape material and root stock for roses, fruit and many flowering trees are cut from terminal shoots. You can take 8 inches and remove the upper two inches, if they are particularly soft. All the leaves except the upper two or three should be stripped off. The bottom part of the cutting should be cut at as an acute angle as possible. This will expose more cambium to start the roots. Cuttings should be treated with a growth hormone before inserting into a 6" bed of coarse sand. Insert only the bottom two inches of coarse sand. I will build a three sided box and place it against the foundation near a spigot. Keep the medium moist. Cuttings are best done outdoors in the early spring or indoors in the fall.